Reeling after helping save a baby at Saint Bridget’s, Philipose vomits on the verandah and is startled by a disfigured leper’s face, realizing he is in a leprosarium. He longs to get home, but the main bridge is washed out, making a long detour unavoidable. Digby finds him to translate for the boatman and explains the breathing tube can likely come out in a day, urging the father to stay. Sensing Philipose’s anxiety, Digby promises a ride with his friend Chandy.

Philipose waits under a blazing afternoon, avoiding food for fear of contagion and drawing water from the well. Chandy finally arrives in a battered Chevrolet with his schoolgirl daughter, Elsie. They set off; Chandy praises Philipose as a hero, but Philipose credits Digby’s hands guiding his own. Elsie briefly presses Philipose’s fingers in a curious, wordless test, then returns to her notebook. Chandy recalls Elsie’s childhood diphtheria and temporary palate weakness, underscoring the disease’s nerve effects.

As they near Parambil, Philipose feels the exhilaration of his first car ride and the sobering recognition that he narrowly escaped drowning; the sight of home reveals how essential it is to him. At the house, the extended family—Big Ammachi, Baby Mol, Shamuel, and others—has gathered in dread; relief floods them when he steps out. Big Ammachi embraces him, and the family vows a thanksgiving visit to Parumala church. Neighbors’ food appears for the vigil-turned-feast.

Chandy recounts an embellished version of the rescue that omits the lepers and concludes that Philipose is destined to be a doctor. Philipose blanches at the notion, inwardly rejecting it. Before leaving, they find Elsie sketching alongside Baby Mol; she gifts a scroll of drawings. Later, Philipose unfurls it to find a striking portrait of himself, capturing the speed, terror, and, above all, his fierce longing to be home.